U.S. Study Links Chemical To Sperm Damage

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Everyday exposure to a chemical ingredient used to
preserve many cosmetics and fragrances may contribute to sperm damage
in adult men, according to a study published Monday.
In one of the first studies of the effects of substances known as
phthalates on humans, Harvard University researchers found signs of
correlation between exposure to a common type of the chemical and
damage to the DNA of human sperm.

The study, published in the government journal Environmental Health
Perspectives, does not show whether this DNA damage could leave men
infertile or cause birth defects, the researchers said.
Last month, the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel, an industry-
sponsored watchdog, sparked fury from health and environmental
lobbyists when it voted to allow the continued use of three types of
phthalates in perfumes and beauty products, saying they were safe in
their current uses.

Phthalates, used to make fragrances last longer and to soften
plastics like baby toys, have been linked in previous studies to birth
defects in animals, but no evidence has proved they are harmful to
humans.
The American Chemistry Council maintains that phthalates are safe and
the U.S. government so far has declined to limit their use. But the
European Union banned their use in some products, including baby toys,
in 1999.

The study, conducted at a Massachusetts fertility clinic, analyzed
urine and semen samples from 168 men believed to have normal levels of
exposure to diethyl phthalates through the use of cosmetics products
and plastics.

Russ Hauser, a Harvard University School of Public Health professor
and senior author of the study, said preliminary results suggested
exposure to those phthalates was associated with increased DNA damage
in sperm, but said it was too early to tell how severe the damage was.
"What the significance of it is, we don't know.

What it predicts in
terms of end points in the fetus or child is really unclear at this
point," he said in a telephone interview.
Hauser said his group planned to extend its research to include
between 700 and 800 men in order to verify the findings, and to cross-
reference results with findings of other studies measuring factors
like pregnancy success rates.
"This paper shows early findings in a relatively small number of
men," he said. "Our next step here really is to expand the study, and
repeat the analyses."

But a group that has been fighting the use of phthalates, Health Care
Without Harm, said the study showed they were right.
"The correlation found in this study is extremely troubling and
deserves urgent follow up," Dr. Ted Schettler, science director of the
Science and Environmental Health Network said in a statement on behalf
of the group.